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Penetanguishene is an amazing town!

 Okay, well the entire area is pretty cool. Last weekend I had the privilege to teach a Practical Intro to permaculture course in the beautiful town of Penetanguishene. I am so grateful to Erin, Sylvie, and Jenn at the Karma Marketplace and 100 Mile Huronia. They all did a wonderful job at getting the word out, helping me through the weekend, and providing great company as well. Oh, and I can't forget to thank them for putting me up for the weekend!

The workshop took place in the Ecology garden in Penetanguishene. It's story is inspiring. In y a few short years the Ecology gardens has become a hub of agriculture, and now permaculture activity in the area. There are many rented garden plots as well as some plots that are used in the community. Many more plans for community and social enterprises are in the works at the gardens as well. It was very exciting being there. All 14 participants were eager and braved the cool winds and soggy ground. Much needed rain had arrived the day before. By the afternoon we were all hot and enjoying being outside in the sun.

Everyone came with a different experience of permaculture and a wealth of knowledge in their area of expertise. I was really blown away with the knowledge and innovation that came to the workshop. We had a great time all learning from each other during the games and lunch. the overwhelming favourite activity though was by far the sit spot time. People enjoyed learning how to begin wholistic observation.

During lunch everyone took notes of the books that looked interesting. Taking a mini-library was more than worth it! The afternoon was a little more low-key. We had covered a lot of ground in the morning. We focused more on guilds, and relationships. The final section was a practical.

Throughout the day we had to be mindful of the killdeer family that had made the garden their home. She sat on the eggs most of the afternoon while he stayed close by to try and ward off any potential threats to his eggs.

I just wish I could have seen everyone's gardens both indoor and outdoor. Yes, one participant had what sounded like an AMAZING indoor garden. Thanks everyone. I can't wait to do the next one!

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Wow, we are in the paper!

Erin from the Karma Marketplace in Penetanguishene sent us this. We are doing a workshop there on May 5th.

Thanks Erin!

By Jennifer Harker of the Midland Mirror, Apr 26, 2012

Learning from Mother Nature

Participants in permaculture workshop May 5 will discover a new/old way of growing

PENETANGUISHENE – Permaculture may be a fancy word, but it’s actually a simple idea. “Permaculture is a type of ecological gardening that aims to be beneficial to the garden, to the environment and all wildlife in the area,” explained Jenn McCallum, marketing and communications co-ordinator for Hundred Mile Huronia.

It also benefits the gardener, as a permaculture garden takes very little input once established. Weeding, watering and maintenance are minimized, as plants are selected for their ability to shade each other, offer natural pest control and provide valuable nutrients in a supportive cycle. “It’s a way of modelling a garden after nature, where you work with it instead of against it,” McCallum said. “Nature doesn’t need any help.”

She pointed to natural edibles that grow lushly along the sides of trails without additional water, weeding, fertilizer or pesticides as an example of permaculture in action. With a little planning, home gardens can achieve the same effect. “Initially there is some work to set it up, but after, it should mostly take care of itself.”

Hundred Mile Huronia is a yearlong project aimed at promoting local food in the area. It will present a permaculture workshop on May 5 at the Ecology Garden in Penetanguishene. “We’re bringing in Jennifer and Tim of All Sorts Acres from Guelph,” said McCallum. “They have an ecological farm and they will show us how to design permaculture gardens.”

Topics will include practical principles to design a yard, garden and landscaping, as well as the top 10 permaculture plants for the region and how to create a “food forest” – a sort of engineered, biodiverse, richly productive garden. Hundred Mile Huronia is presenting the workshop to encourage the community to learn more about working with nature in their own garden. The symbiotic relationship between various plants and animals is not new. Terms such as bio-organics, biodynamics, agri-forestry and permaculture are simply being used to describe and resurrect ideas that were prominent pre-1950s, before the advent of intensive, large-scale farming.

Historically, there are many examples of symbiotic planting, such as the First Nations use of the three sisters (corn, beans, squash). The three plants provide mutual shade, support, nutrients and natural pest control.

“The idea of permaculture is really important for sustainability,” McCallum said. “Food in the grocery stores has travelled thousands of kilometres to get to us. If you grow your own, it’s a matter of metres, and no oil was required to transport it. Low-intensity gardening doesn’t require a lot of water, which is a worldwide issue.”

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Spring peeping around the corner

Although winter has not packed his bags ready to go on his March break trip just yet, he has decided to, go for an extended drive into the country. Of course, when the cat is away, the mice will play, and the starlings, the skunks, foxes, and of course the butterflies. Yes, the butterflies and bees are back. Butterflies are like last summer's wishes that have come back after a long winter snooze. While walking our trail with Beauty-dog, a curious Mourning Cloak butterfly gently graced my shoulder for a breath-taking moment, then flew off again in search of food and a place to lay her eggs. The tell-tale band of bright yellow that bordered her burnt umber wings told the story of today. Spring coming to visit us early and she seems to be sticking around. The bees have told us it's spring already, as have the birds, and the love struck squirrels running around in the yard. A dangerous proposition with a Beauty-dog around! But it was none of these things that brought spring home for me. No, it is the marshland lullaby that convinces me that spring is close on the heels of old man winter. I will be sung to sleep for the next few weeks. If the cold weather returns the song gets quiet, but it doesn't stop. Today's sunset brought about the spring-time song that I favour the most. Rising from the marsh just a few dozen feet away it came. A love song really. A love song about new beginnings and surviving the cold. The soft song of the Spring Peeper, a tiny, frog that sings like a giant. Their song drifted across the evening sky. It made me smile. Now it really felt like. Spring was here.